Tour Details

Sights & Sounds of San Francisco

Let the City do the Talking
Friday, February 25, 2005
8:30am - 12:30 pm
Saturday, February 26, 2005
12:00pm - 4:00pm (No lunch stop)
Cost: $39.00 A/C

Lovely, seductive San Francisco a great lady in her veils of fog. Poets compose odes to her, writers delight in her history, intrigue, beauty and diversity. Crooners leave their hearts with her. Perched on her private peninsula on the edge of the continent, San Francisco beckons visitors from across the globe.

Discover many of the treasures of America's favorite city on this captivating four-hour tour. Upon boarding the coach, each guest will be given a San Francisco City Book. This guide describes attractions, restaurants, shops and other points of interest while visiting the City.

Visit Downtown, the shimmering financial towers stand tribute to the City's status as the "Wall Street of the West." North Beach and Chinatown, the most popular among an extraordinary blend of ethnically diverse and fascinating neighborhoods throughout the City, pose side by side in a rich cosmopolitan mix.

The City's center, Union Square, is a shopper's Mecca with a vast array of elegant stores and richly appointed boutiques. Fisherman's Wharf, the Hyde Street Pier and Ghirardelli Square lure visitors with breathtaking bay views, succulent crab, charming shops in beautifully restored century-old buildings, and a sea-going museum of magnificent sailing vessels whispering hints of San Francisco's raucous and bawdy past. And the trove of attractions in Golden Gate Park offer city dwellers a lush and verdant retreat from concrete and steel.

San Francisco's delightfully whimsical Victorian homes, the "Painted Ladies" of the City, gild her neighborhoods with fanciful detailing, color and architectural variety. Alamo Square treats visitors to a view of one of the most famous rows of these vibrant homes.

Guests will also visit the historic Cliff House, overlooking Seal Rock at Ocean Beach on the Great Highway. This popular San Francisco landmark offers spectacular views and features a number of dining areas, art galleries, a gift shop and observation towers as well. Built in 1896 by Adolph Sutro, the Cliff House was fashioned after a French chateau. Loved by both locals and visitors, this restaurant will provide guests with an opportunity to step out and stretch their legs.

The coach will also make several stops along the way where guests will have an opportunity to take home memories of their tour on film.

Back to Top

The Magic of Marin

From Muir Woods to Sausalito
Friday, February 25, 2005
10:00am - 3:00pm
Cost: $56.00 A/C (Lunch on own)
Monday, February 28, 2005
8:00am - 12:00pm
Cost: $54.00 A/C

Guests aboard this tour will visit a place untouched by the orchestrations of mankind. But to get there, you will traverse one of the greatest examples of human engineering. At the time of its construction, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest bridge in the world and the only of its kind. Fifty brave men lost their lives during its construction. Your informative, experienced guide will discuss the bridge's history and awe guests with its majesty.

Guests will then journey along the Panoramic Highway to the mossy treasure, Muir Woods. It's astounding really, just a few miles away from the concrete jungle there is a lush 560-acre grove of redwoods known as Muir Woods. President Theodore Roosevelt saved this stand of ancient trees from the lumberjack's saw almost one hundred years ago. You will be amazed at its beauty. The loftiest tree in the park climbs 252 feet (and growing) towards the Pacific sun, and the oldest specimen dates back to the time Robin Hood was prowling Sherwood Forest. Many of the trees have a girth of over 17 feet.

Redwood fossils have been found as far away as Asia, France, and even Africa. Apparently, when the continents were all joined together into one single landmass, redwood trees blanketed the earth. Part of the reason is because they are so incredibly hardy. Having no life threatening parasites, there is not a thing alive that is capable of killing a redwood, except a chainsaw. Still, few of these magnificent organisms remain. In fact, Northern California holds the last preserves of the gargantuan trees. There will be plenty of time to enjoy a relaxing walk through the groves along the valley floor.

After touring Muir Woods, we will travel to Sausalito. This picturesque artists' colony, built on a steep, wooded hillside tumbling straight into the deep blue Bay, offers a Mediterranean-style retreat from the hustle of the City. Your guests will have time to stroll through the fascinating shops and galleries that line Sausalito's narrow streets.

Back to Top

The City within a City

San Francisco's Chinatown
Sunday, February 27, 2005
10:00am - 2:00pm
Cost: $109.00 Adult (Lunch included)

San Francisco's Chinatown is not only world famous as one of the unique destinations that make up our dazzling city, but it is the largest gathering of Chinese population and culture outside of Asia. It is also the most densely populated neighborhood in the City. Every corner beckons with color, shape, and exotic imagery. The smells, sights, and sounds of this condensed neighborhood will surely intrigue any visitor to the area and create a lifetime of memories.

Guests will stroll down Grant Avenue, the City's oldest street, which winds through shops filled with Chinese imports, stalls overflowing with fresh vegetables, and Peking ducks hanging from store windows. The many narrow streets remind visitors of the streets of Hong Kong or Shang-hai with their exotic flavor.

In dozens of hole-in-the-wall Chinese shops, everything from small trinkets to exquisite screens and hand carved furniture can be purchased. In hidden alleyways, herbs and powders promising relief from any and all ailments are sold. You will have the opportunity to meet one such herbalist and learn of the many exotic substances, which act on the various meridian of the body.

Because San Francisco is the birthplace of the fortune cookie, and they are the best part of many meals anyway, a stop along the way may include a fortune cookie factory where thousands of tiny bundles of good luck pass every day.

A tea house will be a welcome opportunity for many guests to purchase and sample many fine and rare blends of tea. As your hostess prepares the tea, you will see that the ritualized process is not complex, yet each step serves a purpose. From warming the cups and loosening the tea leaves to transferring the tea from the brewing pot to the pitcher for serving, every possible step is taken to guarantee the best cup of tea for each person.

In dramatic contrast the tour will also sweep through the hallowed and soothing grounds of both a Buddhist Temple and Old St. Mary's Church, which dates back to the mid-1800's.

By Land & By Sea

Saturday, February 26, 2005
11:00am - 4:00pm
Cost: $65.00 A/C (Lunch on own)

Enjoy a tour of the highlights of San Francisco from two distinctly scenic viewpoints. On the first leg of the tour, as they board comfortable luxury coaches, guests will each be given a San Francisco City Book. This guide describes attractions, restaurants, shops and other places to visit while in the City.

The coach will make several stops along the way where guests will have an opportunity to take memorable photographs and refresh themselves. On this tour, they will see Fisherman's Wharf, the Hyde Street Pier and Ghirardelli Square, as well as the now-famous ethnically diverse neighborhoods, Italian North Beach and Chinatown. These highlights are in addition to many other wonderful attractions around the city.

Following this exciting city tour, see San Francisco from a very special perspective from the bay itself. Guests will board a ferry for a one-hour cruise on San Francisco Bay.

San Francisco Bay offers some of the finest vistas in the world. The ferry will cruise along the waterfront where guests can take in the Cityscape, including the distinctive downtown buildings, Fisherman's Wharf, the Marina Green and the Presidio. Across the Bay, the golden Marin Headlands bathed in sunlight contrast with the City's concrete skyline.

Your group will travel underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and around the famous Alcatraz Island, before returning back to port.

Narration tracing the history and development of the various landmarks is provided.

Following this breathtaking cruise, guests will have time to browse through the dozens of unique shops that make up Pier 39. They can indulge a chocolate obsession or find something special for a left-handed friend at the shop where everything is made for left-handed people!

Back to Top

The Mystery, the History of Wine

Saturday, February 26, 2005
9:00am - 4:00pm
Cost: $127 Adult (Lunch included)

Good wine production is an art form. The temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil conditions must all fall within very precise ranges to produce fruit possessing the desired qualities. There are only a few places in the world where the forces of nature converge in just the right proportions to grow the grapes for outstanding wine. California's Napa and Sonoma Valleys affectionately known as the Wine Country meet all the criteria, and are North America's cradle of the wine making craft. For their quality and complexity, only those of France's finest regions rival California's wines.

Since we began taking groups to the Wine Country in 1985, Panache has developed intimate relationships with many of the wineries and their owners. The private tours offered are often led by the winemakers or owners themselves. They will spend a lot of time with guests and generously reveal the production secrets of their winery's coveted wines.

On this fine day, Panache will take your guests to two wineries, where they will receive private guided tours of the facilities and have the opportunity to sample some of the wines. The following are some of our favorites:

Chimney Rock Winery
Chimney Rock is a relative newcomer to the Stag's Leap Region of the Napa Valley. Winery owners Sheldon and Stella Wilson are fulfilling a lifelong ambition to combine their individual talents to create a very select group of wines. The winery buildings, patterned after the Wilson's' former home in South Africa, are in the very unusual Cape Dutch style, with steep roofs and arched gables.

Domaine Carneros
Located in the heart of the Carneros region, Domaine Carneros stands alone as the only winery to produce exclusively methode-champenoise sparkling wine from Carneros grapes. Exceeding care and attention ensures that the harvested grapes arrive in perfect condition. To preserve freshness, the grapes are handpicked during the cool of the night and the pre-dawn hours, using shallow bins to avoid crushing or bruising.

S. Anderson Vineyard
Founded in 1971 by Stan and Carol Anderson, this fifty-acre estate is located on the Yountville Crossroad near the Silverado Trail. Several years ago seven thousand square feet of dramatic sixteen foot high caves were tunneled into several knolls on the Anderson property, to provide an ideal natural environment for the aging of the wines.

Pine Ridge Winery
Nestled in a small Valley on the Western edge of the Stag's Leap area, Pine Ridge took its name from the ridge of Pines bordering the property. The winery was originally owned by a Swiss-Italian family prior to prohibition. The present owners purchased the winery in 1978, terraced the hillsides in European fashion, and added to the existing Chardonnay vineyard. These stressful hillside growing conditions have added depth and complexity to the grapes and resulting wines.

Viansa Winery
Named for its founders, Vicki and Sam Sebastiani, this family-run winery sits on a hilltop in the Sonoma Valley Wine Growing Region. Viansa features Tuscan-inspired architecture with hand-painted frescoes decorating the stone tanks of the fermentation room and a Vaulted Barrel Aging Cellar with aromatic wine casks. The authentic Italian Marketplace Tasting Room exemplifies the efforts to instill the winery with Italian heritage. A tour of the grounds will reveal the enchanting landscape of the winery, with its rings of mature olive trees, walkways lined with beds of wildflowers, and an Italian hillside vegetable garden.

Along with enjoying a boxed lunch at Viansa, guests will have time to meander the property and all of its wonderful offerings…a Marketplace full of gifts and gourmet food products, the wetlands, the herb gardens and the vineyards.

Back to Top

Golden Gate Bridge Walk

Sunday, February 27, 2005
8:00am - 11:00pm
Cost: $65.00 A/C

Walking has proven to be one of the most enduring, comprehensive, and beneficial forms of exercise ever, and unlike Pilates or Tai Bo, it doesn't require any equipment, special training, or medical cautions.

Guests will take up the challenge to go for a walk, and integrate their exercise into their everyday lives crossing the majestic Golden Gate Bridge.

Viewed from any angle, the Golden Gate Bridge is marvelous both to rational minds and romantic ones. It is a symbol of serene grace in the midst of rolling clouds and open sea, a beacon of vaulting triumph, reason and beauty, and yet, a brooding mystery, a haunting presence.

When the thought of building the bridge first arose in the 1920's, not everyone was as enthusiastic about it as those who view it today. The idea of bridging this natural gateway between San Francisco and majestic Marin County could be likened to filling the Grand Canyon with concrete and building a mall over it. But now it is considered one of the great marriages of nature and technology in the modern world. Five years in the making, the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937.

Walking the bridge is pure exhilaration, especially in the morning. The walk itself is about two miles from one side to the other, and well worth it because every point on the bridge affords its own unique spectacular view. Pedestrians are at least 246 feet above the sea at all times. When on the San Francisco side, be sure to see the section of cut bridge cable displayed in the gardens near the parking lot. The cables contain enough wire to encircle the Earth three times at the equator.

Our expert guide will lead the way, sharing structural and anecdotal information about the bridge, and answering questions that guests may have. Power bars and bottled water will be provided.

Back to Top